Cuffed
by Pale Grace
Summary: Raven and Beast Boy are handcuffed together; awkward moments arise, tension builds.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own or have any rights to the Teen Titans.

Chapter One

It was a fairly typical Wednesday night, Victor was on patrol, and Dick and Kory were on a date, leaving Gar and Raven to their own devices. Normally, video games and comics would have kept Gar entertained all night, but for some reason they stopped being interesting forty-three minutes ago. Maybe he really was bored with two of his favorite activities, or maybe the chance to play a good game of _tag_ was too much to pass up.

Exactly, forty-three minutes ago Gar heard the subtle sound of a window sliding open, and all of his senses told him that Raven had left the tower. Since she didn't tell him or anyone else about her evening plans, Gar was left with an excellent opportunity to practice his tracking skills. Not knowing her end destination meant he had to rely solely on his senses and instincts.

Luckily, she didn't teleport out of the tower, which would have deprived him of a scent trail. His sensitive ears told him that she had left through her bedroom window. There wasn't time to use the same window as his exit; no, he had to act quickly, he had to leave as soon as possible or he would completely lose her trail, so out the common-room's window he went. Fortunately, both Raven's bedroom and the common-room faced West, so Gar didn't lost any time circling the building to spot her in the sky.

Pursuing Raven definitely required a certain amount of skill. Her ability to fly and teleport kept Gar from relying solely on his sense of smell and sight. Since her demon senses rivaled his animal senses, there was an extra layer to the game. And her ability to read emotions forced him to keep a certain amount of distance between him and her, at least until he was ready to end the game and pounce.

Of course Raven despised this version of tag: she claimed it robbed her of her freedom and privacy; plus, it was just plain creepy.

Tonight he took the form of a falcon, hoping that it would be small enough to escape notice but large enough to keep up. After thirty minutes of struggling to remain on Raven's tail, Gar flapped his wings a few extra beats, increasing his speed, and thinking to himself, "Man, Raven is really booking it tonight."

Then, without any warning, Raven abruptly dropped from the sky, free falling towards the earth. Just as Gar's heart caught in his throat, she used a bit of her black magic to decrease her speed, allowing her to land softly on a patch of grass before running off, disappearing into a field of sage.

Still trailing Raven, Gar sharply veered downward, landing inches away from where she had touched down minutes earlier. He only wasted a few seconds transforming into a large mountain lion and catching her scent by putting his nose to the air. As Gar bounded through the field of purple flowers that Raven had disappeared into, he began struggling to find her aroma. The herb's fragrance obscured his teammate's smell. In fact, the purple flowers made his nose itch a bit every time he inhaled, and they were so tall Raven had disappeared entirely.

It was time for plan B, search by sound. Since Raven wasn't wearing her cloak tonight, the sound of rustling fabric which typically accompanies her wherever she goes wasn't with her to signal her location. However, she was running, running very fast, causing her heart to pump extra hard and extra fast, giving Gar a homing beacon.

His padded paws were almost ricocheting off the ground; as soon as they touched down they bounced upwards again, propelling him forward, bringing him closer to Raven's excited heartbeat. Every muscle in his feline form was aiding him in his pursuit. His tail bobbed and shifted behind his body, affording him grace and speed. His legs and flanks stretched and contracted slinging him forward as his ears remained set to her heartbeat.

Gaining on Raven, he hardly noticed the spiky flowers brushing against his furry sides, but he was very aware of the moment he managed to recapture Raven's scent.

Raven wasn't like the hundreds of girly girls marinating themselves in perfume, trying to disguise their smells, she rebelled in being natural. Her pheromones danced near the surface, just under the smell of her soap; there were times when her scent could almost be tasted.

As her aroma became stronger and the "fun" of the hunt consumed him, he longed to regain possession and use of his human hands. With these thoughts and desires spurning him on, it wasn't long before he was on Raven.

Slamming her to the ground he felt a wonderful moment of triumph. His paws were placed on her shoulders, and his two-hundred and twenty-two pounds of feline prowess kept her pinned to the earth.

"Get off!" Raven screamed as best as she could with a large beast squeezing most of the air out of her lungs.

Remaining on top of her, Gar shed his animal appearance, taking his human form again, and as he transformed, his hearty panting turned to laughter.

"Oh man, you should see your face," Gar hollered as his fingers curled around Raven's shoulders.

"Yeah, yeah, you got me; now, get off!" Raven screamed; it was slightly easier to raise her voice, her breath wasn't being _completely_ stolen, but there was still a heavy weight lying on top of her. Even though Gar had downsized from a mountain lion to a man, he was still rather big. Standing at six foot three and made up of nothing but muscle, he was like a boulder squatting on her stomach.

"Why don't you make me?" he teased, cocking one eyebrow with a cheeky smile spread across his face.

"Seriously, get off! I don't have much time." Raven screeched through gritted teeth as she raised her head off of the ground, attempting to give weight to her demand.

With her last sentence, all of Gar's mirth and excitement vanished. Releasing her shoulders and leaning back to rest on his hunches, Gar asked, "Why haven't you thrown me across the field?"

"Gar, I don't have time. I'll tell you later at the tower. Just get off!"

"No, not until you tell me what's going on."

"You're bruising her abdomen," interjected a middle aged woman with lavender eyes standing to the left of the pair. Somehow this woman had approached them without Gar's sensitive ears picking up on her footsteps or breathing. Begrudging, Gar moved off of Raven's small body, never taking his eyes off the strange woman standing next to him and his teammate.

This woman had black hair pulled back in a loose, messy bun with strains framing her fair face. Her resemblance to Raven didn't end with their coloring. She also shared Raven's short stature and full lips. The woman's robes hid the contours of her body, but Gar suspected she also had Raven's generous curves.

Immediately, he wondered if this woman was Raven's mother, as the thought jumped around his brain, guilt began to grow in his heart; he had interrupted Raven's time with her mother.

"No, I'm not Raven's mother, but we are related." Gar stood in a stumper with his shoulders and jaw hanging as the robed woman stepped towards him, extending her hand, "My name is Avocet Prideux…seer. I see what was, what is and what will be." As she uttered the last bit, she turned, facing Raven, lavender eyes meeting lavender eyes. Obviously, Avocet wasn't upset or hindered by Gar's presence since she was ready to discuss Raven's pending future.

Raven shifted her eyes to Gar; then, swallowing hard, decided to proceed, despite the unwanted company.

"It began a few months ago. At first the dreams were nothing more than jumbled…bloody images. Then, I spotted a familiar face, Envy; he was surrounded by members of my father's cult. Now, the dreams show me slices of time, meetings between the cult leader and Envy. I don't…I want to…are they planning on killing me?"

"The cult plans to draw your soul from your body to place it in a younger body made from the blood of their sacrifices. Once they have attached your soul to the new body, they'll create another portal and kill you immediately afterwards. They don't want to risk giving you the chance to banish Trigon again." At that moment everything in Raven wanted to crumble inwards. "But it has not been determined _if_ their plan will be successful. I still see multiple futures. Meaning it does not have to end with your death."

"Is there any way to stop Envy and the cult at this stage?"

"No. They will capture you and they will gather blood from numerous sacrifices. Whether or not they'll draw your soul from your body and bring Trigon to this dimension has not been determined. Those things are dependent upon many factors. However, there is a way to stack the odds in your favor."

"How?"

"Your friends were the tipping point last time; they stood against Trigon, searched for you and brought you back. Their love might be able to save you again." Avocet paused as she turned away from Raven's anxious face to Gar's distressed expression, "You are a very good tracker, aren't you?"

"What?" Exclaimed Gar, slightly dumbfounded by the sudden change in the topic.

"You managed to follow Raven though the air and across my field of sage that's suppose to obscure the senses to hide my home on Earth. That's quite a feat. Now, image if the bound between the two of you were stronger? You could find her anywhere, no matter the magic. I have a special tool that will help you strengthen your connection. Though, please keep in mind it's only a tool, you and Raven must do the actual work. Now, I need the two of you to stick out your hands." Despite being slightly hesitant they raised their arms and presented them to Avocet. She pulled a golden cuff from the pocket of her robe and clasped it onto Raven's left wrist. Then she removed an identical sliver cuff from her other pocket and placed it on Gar's right wrist. The hazy light from the moon didn't allow Gar's eyes to take in many of the cuffs' details. He was able to see a delicate design etched into the precious metals, but he would have to wait until he was back at the tower to fully appreciate the cuffs' patterns.

Still glancing down at this wrist while moving it from side to side, hoping that the light might illuminate just a few more details, Gar asked, "What are these things?"

"Before I give you that answer, Raven must promise to remain clam and levelheaded….Oh hell, what am I thinking, there's a better chance of Trigon turning into a puppy. Raven, you'll have to forgive me." As the last words left her mouth, Avocet's arm past in front of Raven's face in a circular motion, transforming her into a white, marble statue.

"Is she, um, okay?"

"Oh, she's perfectly alright. She can hear and see everything around her, she just can't respond or move, and for the next few moments that's preferable. Now, those cuffs," she said, lowering her chin to glance down at the piece of silver encircling Gar's wrist. "A millennium or two ago there was a king named Shallot Gundhun. He inherited a kingdom filled with broken, poor and distrustful people. Generations of his family's warfare and greed left the Kror Hom Kingdom severely off balanced. A few were very rich while the multitudes were very poor. No attention was given to the land's agriculture, so most of his people were malnourished or starving. And no moneys or interest had been given to his kingdom's arts, sciences and magics in centuries, therefore Kror Hom lagged behind other kingdoms in most aspects…Shallot was only sixteen when he inherited that mess. By the grace of everything that is good, he knew not to follow in his forefathers' footsteps. Under his leadership his people grew strong and prosperous, and Kror Hom became one of his world's leading powers. But there was a problem…actually, two problems, Shallot's sons, Eschalot and Ashkelton. Despite Shallot's progressive approach to kingship and family, his sons didn't share his philosophies. They were throwbacks to his father's era; only concerned with power and wealth. And they were willing to divide his kingdom and kill each other just to be the one with the most. As Shallot faced the final chapter of his life, he was at a lost. He knew if they could see beyond their want for power, or their brotherly rivalry. But he also knew that they each had the capacity to be great men and possibly great kings...But as things stood, he knew if he placed the crown on either one of their heads the other would raise an army and drown the land in blood. If Shallot dared to name one of his nephews or cousins then he would be signing that poor relative's death warrant. And naming both of his sons as king, asking them to share and work together was out of the question…or was it. Shallot believed that he could teach his sons to corporate and share with one another. But he knew it would take a magical intervention, so he consulted many sages and wizards; together they devised a plan. Consolidating their knowledge and magics, they created those cuffs," Avocet said as she pointed to Gar's wrist. "In one hour you'll discover that they'll strip their wearer of any inhuman abilities, meaning you and Raven will be human; not half animal, half human or half demon, half human; human. Shallot needed to level the playing field between his sons, so…the cuffs take away any extra abilities a person might have...You'll also discover in one hour that the cuffs will suddenly become drawn to one another…like magnets. You and Raven will essentially be handcuffed together, forcing you to face every struggle together, endure every pain together and experience every joy together. The only way the cuffs will come off is through acts of kindness. Each of you must perform fifty genuinely kind deeds for the other. And when I say genuinely kind, I mean doing something for the other simply because you want the other person to be a bit happier. You can't have selfish motivations in this game. Do you understand me?" Without words Gar nodded his head yes and Avocet continued, "Every time you do a genuinely kind deed for the other a chain link will appear between the cuffs. If you purposefully do something mean to the other a link will disappear. When the chain between the cuffs is a hundred links long the cuffs will fall off. Hopefully, the connection the two of you will share after this will be strong enough for you to find her when Envy takes her…Garfield, he will kill her…given the chance. The desire is already in him and his plans have already begun to form in his mind. He will come for her and he will take her. You need to find her before he kills her. It doesn't matter to him that she's his little sister. She's just a tool to him…uou do have time, not as much as I would like, but you do have a year and half before he abducts her…but when he does take her, you won't have much time, you'll have to act very quickly. He'll have spells in place to guard against magic and Earth's technology. But you don't reply on either one, so they won't hinder you…you, you can crawl through the tiniest cracks, see in the darkest spaces, hear the faintest sound and become as strong and as mighty as the most furious beast in the animal kingdom; never doubt your place in all of this." As Avocet finished she took a step towards Raven's calcified form, placing her hands on either side of Raven's marble face and gently kissed her forehead. "It isn't fair that our fathers only breed us to use us. Or that they expect our very lives. If you're given time, your powers will grow so…great, Trigon and Envy else won't be able to harm you anymore. Fair well cousin; I'll keep my eyes open for you." With a heavy heart and tears in her eyes, Avocet faded into nothingness. When Avocet had completely dissolved into thin air the white surface of Raven's stone skin began to illuminate. What started as a gentle glow grew into a strong white light pushing outwards, warming the surface of Raven's skin. As the heat and light increased her stony shell melted away like butter, revealing a flushed, pink cheeked Raven.

"Raven? Are you alright?" Gar exclaimed as he rushed to grab Raven's arms to study her slightly wobbly figure.

"Yeah, a little dizzy, but I'm fine," Raven answer just before pulling her left arm away to examine the golden cuff clasped around her wrist.

"So," Gar awkwardly interjected into the silence while moving his eyes skyward and rocking back and forth on his heels before suddenly throwing his hand out, jabbing Raven in the arm, shouting, "You're it!"

"Really!" Raven screamed, rubbing her arm.

"Hey, I thought it would lighten the mood. No?"

"No!" Still huffing, Raven set off for the ridge of tress where she fell from the sky.

"What are you doing?" Gar shouted to Raven, who was currently stumping away.

Pausing only for a moment to answer, Raven shouted over her shoulder, "I'm going home! We only have thirty to forty minutes before we lose our powers and I don't want to walk all the way back to the tower."

After Gar rushed to catch up to Raven, he grabbed her arm to pause her so he could say, "You're going to try to fly back? And chance losing your powers mid-flight…ha, and people say I never think things through…besides you won't just lose your powers, these things will be drawn to each other, meaning we could collide midair!"

At that moment everything inside of Raven was too much; her anger, her frustration and her fear, so she did something she had never done before, she gave into her emotions. She let a gut wrenching scream escape her mouth as her hands flew to her head, clawing the sides of her face and hair before crumbling to the ground. Not knowing what else to do, Gar fell to his knees too and rubbed Raven's back, repeating the phrase, "It'll be ok," over and over again.

"Gar, it's all real. Everything I saw, heard and…felt is real. Oh God!" Raven cried out before the tears began fall; before her body began to shudder; before the spasms grew so strong they caught her breath, causing her to choke for a moment. She obviously needed a type of comfort Gar wasn't familiar with giving. He knew a joke or some light hearted teasing wouldn't go far in this situation. But he also knew that letting her sob on the ground in the middle of a cold field wasn't right either. So he scoped her into his arms and started walking home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

On their way home their cuffs bounded together, forcing Gar to set Raven down since her arm had become twisted behind her back to meet Gar's wrist.

"We're almost home, are you ok to walk the rest of the way?"

Without a nod or a word Raven numbly walked in the direction of the tower, which stood on the other side of the bay. Normally, a quick flight across would have served as their method home, but without their powers they would have to use the Dick and Vic's entrance, a passage that leads to a tunnel running under the bay letting out in the Titans' garage. So there was still a bit of a walk ahead of them.

When they finally finished walking the entire length of the tunnel, Gar was pleased to note that Vic's car wasn't in the garage. However, Dick's bike was parked in its spot, signaling that Dick and Kory were home, but not necessarily done with their date. Thinking it was wiser to sneak up to his room rather than _wake_ his teammates and explain the night's developments, Gar instantly switched into sneak mode. Slightly tougher to do trapped in his human form with Raven handcuffed to him.

Although, Raven's zombie state proved to be beneficial, as they moved through the tower not a single sound left her lips; not even when Gar lead her to his bedroom. He knew Raven's bed would be roomier, but the idea of spending the night in Raven's bed was a bit disturbing. Especially since he knew for a fact that Raven had had sex with Aqua Lad in _that_ bed.

The day Raven walked into the kitchen smelling of sex and Aqua Lad literally turned his stomach. For the first time ever, he dropped his fork mid bite, leaving the kitchen with a full plate of tofu eggs sitting on the table. That day completely destroyed whatever friendship he had had with Aqua Lad. There were times when his heighten sense of smell was a curse.

He just couldn't lie in her bed knowing that Aqua Lad had been there too. Gar just knew he would spend the entire night staring at the walls, imaging, wondering what Raven and Aqua Lad had done.

When they had reached his room, he thanked his lucky stars that he had cleaned his room recently so there was a path leading to his bed. Essentially, the only items lying on his floor were a set of dirty clothes. His comics and video games were scattered across his dresser and desk. Granted it, they weren't in a neat stack, but they weren't strewn across the carpeting. He even washed his bedding two days ago; actually, he washed his bedding quite often, animal senses and smelly sheets don't mix.

As he directed Raven to his bottom bunk and placed his hand on her head ensuring she didn't bang it against the top bunk, he felt like a cop, guarding a prisoner's skull against being smashed into a squad car's roof. Without a word Raven laid down, back pressed directly into the wall since Gar's large body took up most of the bed.

Gar was instantly hit with guilt; he should have sucked it up and slept in Raven's room, so she wouldn't be squished into the wall.

Turning onto his side, scooting to the very edge of his bed, lying face to face with Raven, he offered her as much room as he was able. Then in the dim light of his room, he noticed Raven's flushed face, red eyes and her incredible strain to hold back her tears. With their cuffed hands lying between them, Gar reached out with his free hand and rubbed her shoulder. As the damns guarding against the floodwaters in her eyes broke down, Raven's tears finally flowed freely. Without thought Gar took his free arm on Raven's shoulder and pulled her into a hug. Feeling too drain to fight, Raven accepted the kind gesture and allowed herself to be hugged. When sleep finally over took them, they remained in their embrace all night and late into the morning.

"Hey grass-stain, time to get your butt out of bed," Vic called from the hall just before opening Gar's door. In the hazy morning light coming through the closed blinds, Vic spotted a curtain of black hair draped over his friend's shoulder, a pale face tucked away in the nock of Gar's neck and a delicate hand balled into a fist resting over Gar's heart. Turning his head to the side to process the image, Vic was struck with the thought, "She looks familiar." Then a light blub went off in his brain.

"Raven?"

With a bolt Raven shot up, struggling to free her legs from a tangle of blankets and sheets while awkwardly strewn over Gar's body. Finally freeing herself, Raven fell to the floor like an anchor being let loose, dropping to the bottom, pulling at its connection to its ship, i.e. the cuffs bounding her to Gar.

Ripe with embarrassment, horror and anger Vic stood motionless, breathing deeply through his mouth as his mind struggled with two conflicting urges. One to leave and avoid seeing anything else that would haunt his thoughts for the rest of his day; and another to swing Gar around by his neck, satisfying the part of Vic that considered himself Raven's big brother.

Seeing the storm of unfavorable emotions brewing in his best friend's face, Gar brought up his untethered hand, motioning for Vic to stop, even though Vic wasn't moving, and calmly assured, "This is not what it looks like," in a tone normally reserved for rabbit dogs.

Little did Gar know, he had just given big brother, Vic, a shove in a certain direction. In two steps Vic crossed the room and before anyone was able to guess his next move, he leaned over Raven who was still on the floor, and yanked Gar from his bed.

"No! No! I said its _NOT_ what it looks like. Not what it looks like!" Gar exclaimed as his body was being swung through the air. Meanwhile, Raven was trying to scramble to her feet to avoid being dragged behind Gar. Unfortunately, Vic was moving Gar through the air faster than she was able to move.

Just as Gar's back met the wall, Raven choked out, "Vic-tor." As a result of her marathon crying session, her voice was horse and lacked its normal solemnity.

Seeing that Vic was intent on doing bodily harm to his best friend, Raven pressed on, "Stop!" Still nothing, so she pushed her vocal cords a bit further and screamed, "My arm! My arm! Please stop!" Finally, Vic paused to glance at Raven, only to discover her legs lying half behind her and her arm tautly pulled upwards by a strange connection between her wrist and Gar's wrist.

"What the hell?" tumbled from his lips as he leaned closer to the restraints binding his friends while still pinning Gar to the wall. Now, focusing on the metallic cuffs, Vic furrowed his brow as his mouth settled into a tight straight line.

"We're handcuffed together," Gar crocked out with the last little bit of oxygen left in his lungs.

Luckily, Raven was fast to spot Gar's mistake, quickly interjecting, "No, please." Just then something in the tone of her voice, which generally was toneless, stopped Vic's advance. With disgust Vic released Gar, letting gravity do its thing while solemnly stepping away from the pair, shaking his head in disbelief and muttering to himself. As he exited the room he passed Dick and Kory who had heard portions of the incident from the kitchen.

"We heard yelling, is everything alright?" Dick asked in his stern yet caring way.

After swallowing hard, Vic half-heartedly motioned to the doorway he had just passed through, before uttering, "They're in there."

Since Vic's behavior did nothing to dispel any of Dick and Kory's worries, they rushed into Gar's bedroom, nearly banging into each other in their hurry. Ready for a fight or possible casualties, Dick was a bit thrown to discover Raven and Gar leaning against the wall rubbing their shoulders.

"What happened," Dick asked cautiously, stepping closer to the pair while his girlfriend floated in the air behind him.

"We need to have a team meeting. And you need to make sure Vic comes," Raven informed her leader in her gravely monotone.

"And you need to make sure he doesn't kill me!" Gar quickly added.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not have any rights or ownership of the Teen Titans

**Chapter 3**

Vic's anger could be felt radiating through the common's room. He was all grumbles as he sat on the couch with his arms crossed and his feet firmly planted on the floor. Kory and Dick sat on either side of him, guarding against any uncivil actions he might feel compelled to commit.

Gar and Raven had carefully chosen to stand in front of the television, letting the coffee table act as a barrier between them and Vic. Even though this piece of furniture currently offered an obstacle to reaching them, Gar was still filled with all sorts of anxiety. He stood before his teammates flexing and un-flexing his fingers, trying to alleviate his nervousness.

Before Dick and Kory had ushered Vic into the room, Gar had nominated Raven as their spokesperson since every word from him mouth only seemed to worsen the situation with Vic.

"Before I start, I would like to set the record straight. Vic….Gar and I did not have sex." Every face in the room transformed. Vic's scowl lessened as his jaw unclenched. Kory's and Dick's expressions grew confused while Gar's countenance changed to one of mortification. "And Vic….Gar and I will never have sex."

"What?" Slipped from Gar's lips in a kneejerk reaction.

"What?" Raven asked turning to her green friend, unsure of what had just escaped his mouth.

"Oh, I didn't say anything," Gar quickly replied, hoping his slip would soon be forgotten or better yet, considered a product of everyone's imagination.

Turning away and back to her audience, Raven continued, "So….last night….no, what I mean to say is….the last few months….I've been…."

Seeing her struggle to explain the situation to their friends, Gar knew she was still struggling to come to terms with the situation herself. And for the first time he truly understood why she waited so long to tell them about the prophecy and the whole business of becoming a portal for her father back when she was a teenager. So he decided to jump to her rescue, "Raven has been having dreams about the future. Her brother, Envy, has decided to join their father's cause and try to use Raven as a portal again." From there, Gar continued and relayed everything he had learned the previous night; although, he chose to withhold certain pieces of information. He didn't see the need to tell the whole group about Raven's breakdown that would be something he would share privately with her and only her. So he explained their sleeping arrangements by raising his cuffed wrist and saying, "Vic found us asleep in my bed this morning because we couldn't exactly sleep in separate beds." As he said the words, he hoped Vic wouldn't press the issue by questioning the cuddle he had caught them sharing. Gar would have preferred to keep their hug a private matter, but it was a little late for that now.

"Friends are you not aware of the link between your two most magical bracelets?" Kory queried, pointing to a gleaming golden link connecting Raven and Gar's cuffs. Every eye shifted, studying the yellow loop, binding the pair.

"Hey, we must have done something nice for each other since last night," Gar mused in a whispered tone.

"Oh this is most glorious. Your bond shall be strengthen in no time," Kory squealed as she flew over the coffee table, embracing her friends in a bone crushing hug. Pulling away, Kory lowered her voice and asked, "Friends are you aware you smell most un….pleasant?"

"Well….we did spend the night running through a field and we had to walk back to the tower. And we haven't showered or brushed our teeth since yesterday," Gar replied as he scratched the back of his head. Somehow personal cleanliness hadn't been forefront on their minds.

"After we eat we'll clean up," Raven assured Kory and anyone else who happened to be listening.

"What?" exclaimed Vic, launching himself from his seated position. "You're going to do what now?"

"Dude, chill. We're just going to get cleaned up after we eat."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"How do you think? We're going to take a….shower." As Gar uttered the last word he braced himself for impact by scrunching his neck and shoulders together.

"We'll figure something out," Raven said as she placed her free hand on Vic's chest, stopping him from taking any action that might damage her chained companion.

"What?" Vic replied, staring down at the tiny woman he considered to be his sister.

"We'll figure something out. Something that we're both comfortable with, but it's not open to group discussion….Gar, would you like to go to the kitchen for some tea?"

"God yes!" Gar exclaimed, already backing away from his robotic friend.

As they circled passed the couch, Gar turned to Raven and asked, "I don't really have to drink tea, do I?"

"No."

"So how are we going to…"

"Let's eat before we start….figuring out the logistics of….getting clean."


	4. Chapter 4

I do not have any rights or ownership of the Teen Titans.

(Side note, very nervous about this chapter.)

**Chapter 4**

Making breakfast proved to be a fairly awkward ordeal; neither one of them was use to having a tail in the kitchen. Every step, every move seemed to bring with it a bruised toe, a sore elbow or an outright collision. And poor Raven, she had the shorter end of the stick; the considerable size different between her and Gar meant Gar only had to endure a slight discomfort when Raven stepped on his foot or collided into his chest. But Raven, she had to suffer through bruise worthy injuries every time Gar mis-stepped and planted a booted foot on her toes or heels, not to mention all of Gar's flying elbows.

Ironically, they were both attempting to walk on eggshells around the other. They were both trying their hardest to be polite and considerate. When Raven discovered she couldn't reach her tea that she kept on the top shelf, (normally she would have used her magic to retrieve it and put it away) Gar happily grabbed it for her. But as he brought his arm down his elbow met the top of Raven's head.

Like a good sport, she waved it off and assured him that she knew it was an accident. A few minutes later, when Gar was frying up his tofu eggs, she tried to be helpful by reaching over and grabbing the seasoning he needed, but she needed up banging into the frying pan's handle, knocking it to the floor. At that point, they decided it would be safer if they both had toast.

When they finished their simple meal, they sat silently side by side, staring at the wall straight ahead of them until Gar said, "So," with a slight inflection at the end like he was asking a question.

"So," replied Raven still staring at the wall rather than face her teammate.

Then, tentatively Gar suggested, "We could brush our teeth," as he chanced a glance at the dark haired girl sitting beside him.

"We do need to brush out teeth," Raven agreed with a little nod of her head before pushing back her chair to stand. Following suit, Gar pushed his chair back and stood too, except he moved without any trepidation, standing quickly.

As they left the kitchen and walked down the hall to the living quarters, Gar was careful not to race to the bedrooms, letting Raven set the pace. She moved very solemnly, almost dragging her feet as her shoulders hung slumped; something Gar noted as they moved closer to his bedroom. Although he didn't noticed their proximity to his room until Raven completely stopped moving.

"You should brush first since your room is the closest."

"Oh….yeah!" Gar barely knew what he was agreeing to, the only things he was aware of at the moment was Raven's stiff body language and the fact that she was leading him into his room. When they walked past his bunk bed he noted the mess of blankets and sheets lying on his floor. Then Gar's eyes darted to the wall where his best buddy had slammed him against it and he wondered how long it would take for Vic to become comfortable with this situation.

Before he knew it, they were standing in his khaki colored bathroom. Except for the fixtures, which were white, everything was a shade of khaki. During construction one of the clerks at the home improvement store remarked that men tended to shy away from colors in interior design. Truthfully, all Gar cared about was having a working toilet and a huge shower. He didn't care if the walls or the tile made a statement; he was happy with their shades of tan.

"So?" Raven asked, turning her head up, searching for signs of life in Gar's face.

"What?" Gar replied, startled, having been lost in his thoughts.

"Are you going to brush your teeth or not?"

"Oh….yeah, my toothbrush is just over here." Reaching for his toothbrush Gar wondered how he could have forgotten why they were there, since he was the one to suggest taking care of their teeth first. As he grabbed his brush from the plastic cup sitting on his counter, the side of his body grazed the front of Raven, turning her body rigid.

Moving the brush and toothpaste around his mouth Gar wondered how they were going to handle bathing together, since Raven was acting like she was about to face a firing squad. After a few minutes of scrubbing and rinsing he was finish.

"Your turn," Gar cheerfully declared.

Wordlessly, Raven lead Gar from his room, down the hall and to her bedroom door. It had actually been years since Gar had seen the inside of Raven's room. She had gotten pretty skilled at lacing the entrances of her bedroom with various spells to keep him out.

"Ah, Raven….Can I go in there….without getting zapped?" Gar asked, suddenly coming to a complete stop.

Scrunching up her face and cringing inward Raven replied, "Actually as long as you're not in your animal form you can enter my room."

"You mean this whole time I could have gone in there if I was in my human form?"

"Yes," Raven answered drawing the word out, "We could have slept in my room last night….I actually feel a little bad about the spells. If you had known they only affected your animal form then we could have slept here and possibly avoided that whole thing with Vic."

"Don't worry about it; I prefer my room any way." Even though Gar came close to telling Vic a few times about Raven' tryst with Aqua Lad, Gar had never let the information slip. Even now, he pretended not to know anything, letting Raven believe they spent the night in his room due to her spells.

After years of meeting pain whenever he tried to cross the threshold of Raven's room, Gar winced as the door slid open and he passed through. Raven's room looked more or lass as it did when they were teenagers. It was still painted a deep shade of plum and loaded with candles, books and otherworldly sculptures. The only real difference Gar was able to spot were a set of lamps sitting on the nightstands on either side of Raven's gothic bed, brightening the room. There was also a dressing mirror propped up in the corner (assuming it was a normal mirror).

Just as before, Gar let Raven lead the way while he wondered at his surroundings. Since her bathroom was added after she had begun magically animal proofing her room, Gar had never seen the space. True to Raven's sense of style, the bathroom was solemn yet feminine and elegant. The walls were painted a purplish shade of gray that was actually pretty. And the black and white tiles were laid out in a checkerboard pattern. Raven's claw foot tub and ornately craved vanity conferred her sophisticated side, as did the sliver chandelier.

"How did you ever get Robin to sign off on the budget for this room?"

"I bought almost everything in this room used from antique stores, so it didn't cost any more than your bathroom," Raven replied nonchalantly while she opened her medicine cabinet, lying hidden behind a sliver mirror, to pull out her toothbrush. As she started cleaning her teeth, Gar's mind returned to the subject that had been plaguing his brain, shower time.

Ever since Vic jumped all over the issue, Gar had been puzzling out the particulars of….daily upkeep. Wondering if they would make do washing themselves over a sink or bite the bullet and take a traditional shower….with a friend. He weighed the pros and cons of all the options but his head kept urging him towards the traditional route. Ok, maybe it wasn't his head, but wherever that little voice was coming from it seemed to be making a lot of good points.

Sooner or later they would grow tired of washing each other's hair in the sink. And rubbing their legs and arms down with soap and washcloths wouldn't get them truly clean. Besides they would eventually have to strip down in front of the other, they couldn't remain in the same set of clothes forever. It was really only a matter of time before they saw each other nude, so why put off the inescapable?

By the way Raven was taking her time, similar thoughts must have bee running through her head too. Just as Gar was about to tease her for stalling, the little voice that had been reasoning him towards the shower option, held back his tongue, explaining the negative consequences that would assuredly follow pushing Raven into a defensive position.

Since Raven didn't look close to being ready to call it quits in regards to her oral hygiene, Gar decided to address the elephant in the room. "So, I was thinking….we could wash our legs and arms over the sink, but the rest of our bodies wouldn't get very clean. Or we could take a bath together….with our underwear on, of course, but then we would be soaking in our own filth. So then I thought that we could take a shower with our underwear on," when Gar paused to start the next line of his pitch, Raven decided to join the conversation with a mouth full of toothpaste, "That's probably our best option." The voice in Gar's _head_ struggled between the urge to jump in and push for full nudity and maintaining his tact-full position. If he pushed the issue he risked Raven retreating and having to settle for sponging himself clean. As Gar processed these thoughts he was hit with how devious and perverted he was being. And for a moment he considered the possibility that Vic was justified for being so distrustful. But he only considered it for a moment. Gar managed to push aside his doubts and shame by assuring himself that he wouldn't behave as anything less than a gentleman towards Raven.

Wrestling with his nerves, Gar took a deep breath, calming himself, before asking, "So, your shower or mine?" Since Gar was sincerely going to fight his lecherous desires, he resisted the urge to wage his eyebrows and smile.

"Um," Raven puttered as she and Gar surveyed her bathroom, turning their heads from one side to the other, taking in the room.

"You know, it might be better if we use my shower. Your tub is nice and all, but its small, at least compared to my shower. Plus, I have those body jets and that rain-showerhead."

"True," Raven agreed with a note of hesitation.

"If you feel more comfortable doing it here, I mean, taking a shower here, then that's fine too."

"No, it makes more sense to use your shower."

"Then we should probably grab your stuff and head to my room."

"Stuff?"

"You know, your shampoo and _stuff_."

"Oh!" Obviously, Raven's mind lacked its normal clearness and sharpness. Strange how she could face men like Slade without batting an eyelash, but the idea of stripping down to her undies in front of Gar was nearly paralyzing.

"Hey, where's your bar soap?" Gar questioned as he peered into Raven's shower only noting a couple bottles resting on a shelf hanging from the shower head.

"Girls don't use bar soap," Raven answered as she reached in, gathering her toiletries. Without another word Raven lead Gar to her walk-in closet. Walking into her closet Gar's eyes fell upon a long row of uniforms hanging directly in front of them. As Raven reached to pull one from a hanger she was struck with a horrible thought, freezing her.

"What? What is it?" Gar asked anxiously staring down into her eyes.

"I….I can't put on any of these….how am I going to get my arm through the sleeves?"

"Oh." It didn't occur to Gar either that the cuffs would pose as a problem in dressing the top half of his body. While Gar pondered a chilly future without any shirts, Raven excitedly shouted, "Oh! I know what I can do….I have this top that Kory bought me with these straps that tie around the neck." Eagerly, Raven dragged Gar to the back of her closet where a large box brimming with civilian cloths sat. Plopping down on her knees, Raven threw herself face first into the cardboard container, letting her body from the waist up become submerged in clothes. Allowing himself to be pulled to the ground by a tug on the wrist, Gar took the floor space next to Raven and watched as she dug through the box, sending sweaters and dresses flying. When a few items of clothing landed in Gar's lap, he noticed that everything still had tags.

"What are all of these?" Gar asked figuring a silky blouse at his feet.

"Clothes Kory bought me." The breathy answer came from the inside of the box; Raven didn't stop sending clothes soaring through the air until she exclaimed, "Ah, I knew there was a halter top somewhere in here!" As she held up the red shirt, Gar was slightly surprised that Kory had chosen to buy Raven such a sexy top. Normally Kory's makeover attempts were aimed at making Raven a girlier version of herself.

"Ah, Rae, I think you're going to need more than just a shirt," Gar said, placing a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from pushing off the ground to leave. After a moment of thought, Raven dived into the box again, pulling a pair of blue jeans and sandals out.

Now, it was time for the awkward part of selecting underwear with an audience looking over her shoulder. But considering she was going to be modeling yesterday's panties for him in a few minutes, she decided to suck it up.

"My dresser is over there," Raven gestured to a white dresser at the other end of the closet. By this point Gar was holding all of Raven's belongings, at some point they had made their way into this arms and he had become Raven's pack mule. Walking the short distance to her dresser, Raven wished she could indiscreetly pick out a bra, but unfortunately she needed to dig to the bottom of the draw to find her one and only halter bra. Obviously she was going to have to do some serious online shopping soon.

"Ok, ready to go?" Gar asked as Raven was reaching into another draw and pulled out what he assumed were panties. Even though he felt like a creep watching her select her underwear, he couldn't help peeking down every so often. Before adverting his eyes, he managed to catch a glimpse of something lacy and blue.

"I guess so."

When they reached Gar's room Raven paused, turning to Gar, asking, "Shouldn't you pick out some clothes too?"

"Oh yeah….but lets set your stuff down in the bathroom first." Gar unceremoniously plopped Raven's things on the counter beside his sink. Unlike Raven, Gar went ransacking through his dresser unabashed. As he pawed through his draws, pulling a pair of jeans and boxers out, Gar replied, "I don't think I'm going to be able to find a halter or anything like that to cover my chest. So everyone is going to have to get use to seeing a lot more green for awhile," losing his lightheartedness Gar continued, "geez, I hope Vic doesn't kill me….You know the guy is suppose to be my best friend. How the hell could he throw me around like that?" Even though he had already found what he was looking for, he kept rummaging through his draw, ranting, "You know, I really thought the guy was going to kill me. The way he was acting you'd think I was some sort of villain…..Well, I'm ready," he announced turning, facing Raven with his normal jovial disposition restored.

When his hands reached down to the hem of his shirt, he paused as a new thought suddenly popped into his head. "Um, Raven, how are we going to take our shirts off?"

Briefly looking down at her hand that had been pulled over to the bottom edge of Gar's shirt, she matter-of-factly said, "We'll have to cut them off."

"I have a pair of scissors on my desk," Gar accepted the answer as reasonable and walked to his desk with Raven in tow. Luckily, he had placed his scissors in a cup with his pens and pencils when he cleaned his room a few days earlier, making them easy to locate.

"Here," shoving the handles in Raven's face. "Can you cut along the seam? It would be great if I could save this shirt, its one of my favorites." Silently Raven accepted the tool, realizing it would be fairly difficult to cut their own shirts; after all this whole experience was suppose to be about learning to operate as a team to strengthen their connection.

Just as Gar requested, Raven was careful to cut along the shirt's side-seam so it could be repaired at a later date. Things got a little harry as she reached Gar's armpit, until that point, Gar's arm didn't prove to be in the way or a problem, but now….now his arm was keeping her from being able to cut along the sleeve's seam. Gar needed to raise his arm up to give Raven access to the seam, but if he lifted his arm then he would be pulling Raven's arm up too. Without words they both realized the problem in front of them.

"Um," Gar mouthed, looking down at the metallic object in Raven's hand, "Oh I know, I know," he excitedly declared, lowering himself to his knees, bringing his face just below Raven's chest. Lifting his right arm up, he announced, "See, now you can reach the seam." Raven had to hand it to him, his idea seemed logical.

With his lips parallel to Raven's bellybutton, Gar raised his right arm a little higher giving her access to the seam needed. Cutting downward, she finished the job. Then dropping the scissors, freeing her hands, she pulled on the shoulders of his shirt, bringing it over his head. Stepping to her right she continued pulling, sliding the black shirt down Gar's left arm, leaving him shirtless, revealing abs akin to Ryan Reynolds.

Depending upon a person's perspective, Gar was either in a position of power, holding Raven's gaze while their bodies were a mere inch apart, knowing full well that with one move he could bring her to the ground, or he was in a position of subjugation, shirtless and exposed, kneeling before Raven's standing figure. Locking eyes, Gar was tempted to make a _power_-play, to cover her body with his own and part her lips with his tongue.

Staring into Gar's eyes Raven could feel her heart raging against her ribcage and her body growing shaky. If she didn't move soon she feared would begin to quake and tumble to her knees. Swallowing down the emotions bubbling up her throat and taking one deep breath, Raven uttered, "You should do me now."

It wasn't intended to sound like an innuendo or an invitation, but when the words left her mouth she realized what it could come across as. "I mean, you should cut my shirt off now." Finishing her sentence Raven's face grew flustered.

"I know, there's really no good way of saying it," Gar grinned satisfied with the fact that he was getting to her. As he leaned forward picking up the discarded scissors he remained kneeling. While his hands moved upwards, snipping away at the fabric of Raven's shirt, she could feel the cool metal of the blades touching her skin and Gar's focus concentrated on her; further changing the energy in the air. When Raven removed Gar's shirt, the apprehension she had been feeling transformed into a nervous….budding sexual desire. Prior to that moment, she had never felt anything of the kind for Gar. Throughout their acquaintance she had never seen him as….a man. He had always been Gar that skinny, short, kid who thought he could have a secret identity despite being green. It had _just_ hit her that he wasn't skinny, short or a kid anymore. And he was looking at her the way a man looks at a woman, full of caged energy and hunger; giving rise to a new type of anxiety.

When he moved the scissors to the edge of her long sleeve, he laced the fingers of their shackled hands together, steadying her arm as he cut along the inside seam. Briefly looking up, Gar spotted the adrenaline and the unease that were leaving a worried expression on Raven's face and leading to her antsy movements. She was shifting her weight from foot to foot and periodically shaking her free arm; Gar just had to smile. He clearly had the upper hand, something he had never had with Raven. And he was going to enjoy himself.

When he made the final snip with the scissors, he pushed himself to his feet, resuming his towering position over Raven. Then he began pulling her shirt over her head, just as she did with him, except he stood looking into her eyes and he didn't step to the side to pull the garment from her uncuffed arm, no, he stepped further into Raven's space, using his long arms to remove the long sleeved shirt.

With only a hair's breath between their bodies and theirs eyes locked with one another the inevitable was bound to occur; Victor walked through the door unannounced and without permission.

The forced cheerful expression Vic was prepared to wear quickly disappeared. Victor's feet pounded against the carpeting and moved with the same level of grace as a charging elephant.

Seeing the approaching threat, Gar actually yelped before stepping to Raven's side, pushing her forward to act as a barrier. Luckily for Gar, Raven wasn't in the mood for Vic's over protective side.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to make sure that the little green bean didn't try anything _funny_."

"Are you implying that if he tried something I would be incapable of taking care of myself?"

"No! Its just that you don't have any powers right now. And in case you haven't notice the guy is huge!"

"So his size negates my martial arts training?"

"Rae, you've never faced an opponent without your powers."

"And since when is Gar my opponent? He didn't suddenly turn into a rapist last night."

"Rae, he's" stopping to glance at Gar who was happy to stay quiet and he let these two fight it out, Victor weighed the consequences of his next move.

Somehow Gar could see the words forming in Victor's mind and he had to stop him. "Vic, no! Please don't. I will do anything you want if you don't say what you're about to say!" Gar pleaded, taking one panicked step forward, finally scared of something more than Vic's fists; Vic's words. He had a horrified feeling Vic was about to tell Raven about his feelings for her.

"For the love of God, man, I'm your best friend not some creep like Adonis. Have I ever treated a woman disrespectfully?"

"No. But you've never been chained to a woman before either."

"But that doesn't mean I'll do anything perverted. Please just trust me not to cross any lines."

"Well, who decides if you crossed any lines?" Vic asked crossing his arms, leaning forward, putting him face to face with Gar.

"Raven," Gar suggested, swallowing hard, leaning back a bit.

The hard set of Vic's mouth softened a little as he turned toward Raven. "If he does _anything_ that crosses any sort of line, I really will turn him into a grass stain."

"Ok."

Vic took one deep inhale before turning to leave.

"Oh yeah, we're ordering a pizza for lunch, what would you like on it?"

"As long as its not meat, I'm fine with whatever." Gar answered, putting up his hands waving the clearly peeved Vic off.

"Fine," was Vic's parting word to the pair before exiting the room.

"Man, I need to get a lock for that door!"

"Well, only if you want to live to be twenty-four." Raven replied with her normal amount of sarcasm.

Sighing and shaking his head he walked silently into his bathroom with Raven in tow. Once they were standing in front of the shower they both reached to unbutton their own pants, stopped by the other's pull on their cuffed hand.

"Um," uttered Gar looking down at their chained arms hanging midair between their bodies.

"We're basically sharing a hand that only one of us can use at a time."

"So…."

"So, when you're using your right hand, I can't use my left. Anything that involves using two hands will have to be….coordinated."

"So, who gets custody first?"

"Your room; you go first."

"Nah, you're my guest you go first." Immediately, Gar regretted his words as his hand was guided to the button fastening Raven's pants. His hand hovered in the air, just a finger's length from Raven. If he uncurled just one of his five digits, their tips would graze Raven's most private region. He could feel himself growing, pushing against the fabric of his underwear. And he hated Vic more than ever.

Before Vic had interrupted them, Gar could feel the desire and the lust filling the air, wrapping them in a shared moment. He knew he could parlay those feelings into actions because they were mutual. Now, the urges that had been building up in Raven were completely extinguished. If Raven didn't reciprocate the desires that were building in Gar, then he would be left in an awkward position. Unfortunately, he couldn't deny his wants, especially when he was about to shed his pants, unshielding proof.

Then his hand was guided to Raven's side, skimming her hip as she pulled her fitted pants down. Gar was nearly swallowed with the longing to plant his hands on her hips, drawing her forward, brining them chest to chest, hip to hip. But he bite back that urge and stood motionless as Raven used her feet to bring her pants to the tiled floor, revealing a black, lace thong. At that moment he felt like he was going to die. He wanted to slam his head against the wall and scream in frustration. The situation kept proving more and more tempting, but he was held back by his decency (and Vic) from acting on any of his baser instincts.

"Alright, your turn." When this sentence left Raven, Gar looked up in alarm. Every nerve in his body shouted at him to think, to speak and to take action, but all he could do was stand there, paralyzed.

"Gar?" Raven asked turning her head slightly to the side as a way of examining Gar's expression. "Gar, we can't take forever if we want any lunch."

Then Raven did the unthinkable, she took a step closer to Gar and moved to unbutton his blue jeans herself. With a jerk he jumped back, grabbing both of her wrists in his one free hand, bringing those busy fingers away from his body.

"No!" the word rushed from his mouth as fast as he had jumped back. Panting he continued to speak, "I mean….I mean, no. You can't."

"You didn't have a problem when I took your shirt off. Is there something wrong?"

Again he wanted to slam his head against the wall. So many thoughts were running through his brain including a prayer for his blood to return to the head sitting on his shoulders.

"Gar?"

"I….I….Am."

"What?"

"I'm," cringing inwards, "I mean my body is….excited," Gar threw out before glancing down to drive his point home.

Raven's eyes grew wide as, "Oh," tumbled out.

"I can't help it. Its like someone smashing you in the knee with a bat, you have to react….Oh God, Vic is going to kill me."

Seeing Gar's distress and sympathizing with his situation, Raven took a step back. "Vic isn't going to kill you."

"You want to bet?"

"I'm the one who judges what crosses the line. And I'm not going to condemn you for having a physical response. What you choose to do after this point is the difference between being a respectful man and an animal. Now, are you going to do anything that crosses any lines?" Raven asked sternly.

Sheepishly Gar replied, "No," and unbuttoned his jeans while staring only at his hands, trying his darnness to forget how close Raven's hand was to his penis. When he used his feet to bring his pants to the floor he focused solely on the tiles under his toes. And he allowed Raven to lead him into his walk-in shower since he refused to lift his head.

A second after he heard Raven shut the glass door behind them, Raven paused and asked, "Um, how do I turn this thing on?"

Gar found himself happy with the question, the task it prompted gave his mind the chance to focus on something other than a nearly nude Raven.

"You just have to turn this….and lift this….and you have water….let me know if its too hot or cold." As he went about turning knobs and pulling levers, he could feel himself calming down a bit as the tightness eased.

"Who gets custody of the hand first?" Raven queried.

"What?"

"Remember a few minutes ago with the pants? We can't both use our cuffed hands at the same time. Who should go first?"

"I think it would be better if I go first….Don't ask me why." Gar finished by reaching for his bar of soap. The entire time he scrubbed his chest and arms he stared straight ahead at the slate walls. And when he moved to wash his legs he focused exclusively on the hair on his legs. Putting his soap down he reached for his shampoo, proceeding to fill his palm with the gooey soap. It wasn't until he tried raising his arms to wash his hair that he ran into a problem with his "ignore Raven" plan.

When his right ram met resistance the words, "My arm," escaped from Raven. The problem he was facing quickly dawned on him; Raven's arm was too short to reach the top of his head.

"I forgot about this little problem," Gar tensely laughed to himself as he resumed his kneeling position. Facing Raven's bare abdomen he was filled with the urge to moan in frustration. Despite his best efforts, he was face to face with temptation. Looking up to Raven's face hoping for sympathy, answers, suggestions or anything that might prove helpful, all he was met with was the satiny covered mounds of Raven's breasts.

Again he wanted to scream in frustration and bang his head against the wall. Instead of withstanding and holding back, he gave in and screamed, letting his head fall forward, landing against Raven's stomach.

Startled, Raven tentatively patted him on the shoulder in a "there, there" motion. But something in his frustration and something about how hard he was trying to be a good guy, moved her. With his head pressed to her belly, her free hand moved and started stroking his hair. She let her fingers become lost in the wet strands. Then when he looked up with his green tormented eyes, Raven found herself lowering herself to the ground, kneeling before Gar.

"A little better?" Raven asked in the sweetest tone Gar had ever heard coming from her.

Cocking half a smile, Gar replied, "Not much….You're a beautiful woman, Raven. I think being this close to you, knowing I can't touch you is going to drive me crazy….Are you sure this whole thing isn't something your cousin cooked up to torture me?"

Despite the fact that her heart was racing, Raven could barely bat an eyelash. Her body felt as though it was made of lead, heavy and unmovable. At a lost for what to do, think or say, Raven kneeled there, swallowing back her uneasiness.

Looking at Raven, Gar was reminded of a cornered animal, desperately wanting to run away but gripped with too much fear to move. So he did the only thing he could bear to do, he changed the subject, "You never told me why you didn't throw me through the air at Avocet's field?"

"Because I don't have any powers when I'm near Avocet or her home."

"Is that why you fell from the sky?"

"I misjudged the boundaries of Avocet's land."

"Heh, you got real lucky."

"I know," Raven replied shamefaced. "If I hadn't of found the little bit of magic I used to land, I'm not sure what I would have done."

Fighting back the temptation to tell her that he had been a second away from transforming into a pterodactyl and swopping in to save her, Gar held back his tongue, feeling it was better not to embarrass her any further. Instead he asked, "Why were you in such a rush last night?"

"Avocet only comes to Earth during the moonlight hours of summer solace. I didn't want to miss her."

"Why didn't you wear your uniform?"

"I wasn't going there as a Titan, I was going there as Raven Roth."

"So Raven Roth likes to dress in all black too," Gar smirked.

"Better than the goofy t-shirts and baggy jeans Garfield Logan likes to wears."

"Hey. I know you're jealous of my awesome fashion sense but there's no reason to be mean."

"How much brain power does it take to pair t-shirts and jeans together?"

"More than it takes to match black to black together." Gar sighed, finally feeling the edge of his tension melt away. There was comfort and safety in their teasing. It was their safe zone, a place they've been to a hundred times before that held all of the familiarity of a favorite blanket.

Looking down at his palm he noticed a little bit of the shampoo still glooped to his skin that the water hadn't washed down the drain, so he lather his hair and finished washing up. As he rinsed the last of the soap suds from his scalp, Raven braved, "Is it alright if I wash up now?"

Feeling the heat rise up in his chest again he nodded and mouthed the word, "Yeah." He immediately began filling his brain with unappealing thoughts like puss to keep himself calm. He was so intent on developing his plan he didn't notice Raven standing up again.

"Ah-hmm," Raven cleared her throat to gain his attention.

"Huh?"

"You have to stand up. I can't reach my things with you doing an impression of an anchor."

"Oh Yeah," Gar replied as he stood and let Raven lead him wherever she needed to go. And when she started washing her face and body he turned his head focusing on the natural patterns in the stone on the walls. He managed to maintain his concentration until he felt his hand being yanked up and down vigorously. With a quick look down he discovered that Raven had moved onto washing her long hair. Seeing his hand at the side of her face and being all too aware of the closeness of their bodies, Gar found himself desperately fighting the calling to cup her face with his hands while closing the small gap between their bodies. The small part of his logical brain that still existed screamed for Vic to burst into the room. But that side of him was being swallowed up. Feeling his reasons for maintaining boundaries becoming fuzzy, Gar shouted, "You have stupid shoes."

Pulling her hands down Raven responded, "What!" confused and slightly angered.

"All of the other female super heroes wear heels or boots with heels, but you wear some sort of weird elf shoes, they're stupid." The words rushed out while he avoided eye contact.

"Wow, what an argument. I should wear heels or boots with heels because all of the other female super heroes do." Raven drolled, letting the soap suds slide over her skin.

"No you should wear different shoes because those elf things are ugly. Unless you wear them because you really are an elf, which would explain why you're so short."

"Oh, very original a short joke."

"Hey, I just work with what I've been given."

"So you'll understand when I call you, green bean or grass stain."

"Are you done yet?"

"Almost."

In total silence Raven finished rinsing the shampoo from her hair. She decided to forgo conditioner for the day in the interest of ending their shower as quickly as possible. They continued their shared silence as they toweled off.

Finally Raven ended the quiet as she reached into her pile of clothes, pulling a dark scarf from the pile, shoving it in Gar's direction, saying, "Here."

"What's this?" Gar fingered the material as he took possession of it.

"Put it over your eyes, so I can change."

Since Gar was grateful not to be faced with the temptation, he obediently tied the scarf over his eyes without a word. He could only guess what was happening as he stood blindfolded and handcuffed in his bathroom. It seemed as though his hand was being moved in a new direction every couple of seconds. When he was finally given the "ok" to remove his protective eye covering, Raven stood before him clad in the red halter top and blue jeans with her hair pulled into a ponytail. Then without words raven reached over, taking ownership of her scarf again, fastening it over her eyes. Taking that gesture as this cue to change out of his soggy boxer-briefs, gar proceeded to don his clean, dray clothes.

At last they were more or less clean and dressed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

They weren't surprise to find that everyone had finished eating when they entered the common's room/kitchen, but they were surprise to see Karen sitting on the couch beside Vic.

"Karen?" Gar exclaimed, stopping in his tracks.

"Hey, what up ya'll." Karen turned looking over her shoulder to address the pair.

"What are you doing here?" Gar asked still stilled by surprise.

"Well, I heard you all were down two teammates, so I thought I would stop by and help out for awhile and catch up with Sparky." Karen answered as she stood and walked around the couch.

"Wow, those bracelets really must be magic because Raven is in street clothes." Gathering a hold of Raven's hand, Karen excitedly exclaimed, "Girl, let me get a look at you." Raising Raven's arm, making her the center of attention, Karen proceeded to circle the pale Titan like a Maypole. "Oh Raven, what happened to your back?" Ceasing her merriment, Karen delicately ran her fingers over a cluster of black and purple marks on Raven's shoulders. Drawing everyone's attention and concern, the Titans gathered around Raven to spy the bruises in full bloom. Gar struggled to turn and crane his neck, so he could see the discoloration that was brining everyone over to Raven's side.

"Raven, what happened," inquired Robin as he reached his gloved hand out to Raven's shoulder, but pulling back on second thought.

Straining her neck to peer over her should Raven asked, "What are you referring to?"

"Raven, your back is covered in bruises." Robin answered.

"The cuffs took away my powers, so I won't be able to heal as quickly."

"Yes, but friend Raven, why are there bruises on your back? Were you attacked?" Kory floated in a lazy circle around her friend to bring herself face to face with the injured Titan.

Growing more uncomfortable with being the center of her friends' focus, Raven's voice grew edgy, "All I did last night was see Avocet."

"Raven, you must have been pushed or knocked down; a person just doesn't get bruises like that for no reason." Robin reasoned in his leader voice.

When Robin's words hit Gar's brain a sick feeling that dropped his stomach to his knees over took him. Yeah, Raven was knocked flat on her back by a large, green mountain loin.

Mentally slapping himself, he almost didn't hear Raven's voice when she began speaking, "They must have happened when I fell from the sky last night."

"What? When did you fall from the sky?" Vic demanded.

"All magical beings are stripped of their powers when they cross into Avocet's land, and I misjudged where the boundary line was, so I fell. That must have been when I hurt myself." Raven replied nonchalantly. "Is there any pizza left, I'm actually sort of hungry?"

"There's a couple slices in the frig," Robin answered.

"Wait, wait, wait. How high were you when you fell?"

Sighing with exasperation, Raven answered, "Above the tree tops."

"So you fell two or three stories?" Vic questioned stepping in front of the aggravated Raven.

"Maybe."

"Rae! You might have broken something or bruised a rib!"

"If I had broken something I think I would know."

"How would you? You've never been injured without your powers."

"My powers healed my wounds at an accelerated rate, they didn't dull the pain. I know what a broken bone feels like."

While Raven and Vic went back and forth, Avocet's words kept ringing in Gar's head; "You're bruising her abdomen." He had knocked her to the ground, just like he had done a hundred times before. Somehow it had never occurred to him that he might have been hurting her. She always seemed so tough. As it turns out she had felt every blow just the same as any human.

"Rae, maybe you should let Vic check you over. You know, just for peace of mind." Gar broke the rhythm of their pin-pong argument, with his sick and dazed tone.

"See, even the green bean agrees with me." Exclaimed Vic, clapping a hand on Gar's bare shoulder. "Hey, why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

Ignoring Vic's question, Raven continued, "You're both being ridiculous. I'm fine."

Also ignoring their mechanical friend, Gar replied, "Please….please let him make sure nothing is wrong….it would make me feel a lot better." Locking eyes for the hundredth time that day, a silent message passed between them.

Losing the fire of her argument, Raven's voice grew softer, so when she replied, "Alight," it was hardly more than a whisper.

"Great!" Vic shouted clapping his hands together. "I'll go get the machines warmed up."

"We'll meet you down there after we eat." Raven countered his excitement, halting Vic as he was about to walk out of the door. Seeing Vic gearing up for a counteract Gar yelled, "Dude, we got her to agree to an examination, consider it a victory."

After Vic left the pair pulled the pizza from the refrigerator. When the microwave dinged, they turned to sit and discovered Dick, Kory and Karen sitting around the kitchen table, smiling eagerly at them. Obviously, question and answer time wasn't over.

Tentatively taking a seat with their plates, they braced themselves for the next set of queries about to come their way.

"Sooooooooooo," Gar said drawing the word out.

Kory's enthusiasm fired her question from her mouth faster and louder than any of the other Titans, "So why is friend Gar shirtless?"

With a mouth filled with melted cheese, Gar replied, "I can't get my right arm through the sleeves of any of my shirts."

"Oh," Kory replied slightly deflated, but before you could count to three she was antsy with excitement again. "So, is that why friend Raven is wearing my presents?"

Before Raven could finish chewing her food to answer, Gar interjected, "Yeah, it's a good thing you bought those for her."

"Friend Raven, do you need any more clothes from the mall of shopping?"

"Well, I do, but I was planning on going online and order some things."

"Yes, but those clothes won't arrive for days. You can have clothing from the mall of shopping today!"

"Kory, I can't go to the mall cuffed to a half nake….guy."

"Yes, but I can go for you." Hit with panic Raven turned her head from one side of the table to the other, hoping a polite answer or solution would present itself in her teammates' faces. Spotting Raven's distress, Gar offered, "Maybe Karen can go with you and help you pick out some stuff for Raven?"

"Oh, that sounds most marvelous! Yes, friend Karen and I shall do the shopping."

Not missing a step, even if Kory was unaware, Karen threw in, "Girl, don't worry, I got you. Just make a list of what you need and your sizes."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own or have any rights to the Teen Titans.

Special thanks: To everyone who favored my story and gave me a good review.

**Chapter Six**

Alone in the elevator, traveling up to the infirmary, Gar gathered the nerve to ask, "Why did you lie? You didn't fall."

"Vic's made enough attempts on your life for one day," Raven replied in her normal monotone.

"Thanks." Scratching the back of his head, Gar turned away from Raven to face the doors again. Then in the silence Gar watched the numbers above the door grow larger and larger as the elevator carried them higher and higher; and just as the numbers grew so did Gar's guilt and curiosity.

"Rae….when you said you knew what a broken bone felt like….did I….did I ever break one of your bones? You know, playing tag."

Without any hesitation Raven answered, "No, Slade cracked one of ribs a year ago."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"There wasn't any point. It was completely healed in less than twenty-four hours."

"You'd never accept that answer from Dick or anyone else."

"I would if they were able to heal themselves as quickly as me."

"Yeah right," Gar spat, turning towards Raven, who was still facing the metallic doors. Seeing Raven pressing her lips while shaking her head, Gar shouted, "What?"

Deciding she was tired of this bullshit, Raven voiced something that had been on her mind for years, "For the last couple of years you pick a fight whenever we actually have a nice conversation, whenever we actually start to get along. What does it matter if I don't tell anyone when I sprain my ankle or break a bone? I can heal myself. I don't need a doctor. I don't need anyone to worry over me. So what's the big deal? Why are you picking a fight?"

"Because when people care about you, you're suppose to tell them things like...you broke a bone! It doesn't matter if you can heal yourself. And I do not pick fights with you!"

Just as Raven opened her mouth to fire back at Gar, the elevator's doors chimed open, revealing an impatient Vic.

"It's about time the two of you got here."

Realizing she had lost her moment, Raven turned to Vic and mumbled, "Let's get this over with."

Following Raven's lead, Gar stepped off of the elevator and walked into the nearest examination room. Vic started the physical by listening to Raven's breathing, heart beat and testing her reflexes. Then he ushered the cuffed pair into the x-ray room.

"Rae, you're going to have to change into a hospital gown," Vic said, gesturing to the folded blue garment on the metal table.

"Where?" objected Raven, wishing she could cross her arms to emphasize her annoyance with the entire ordeal. Meanwhile, Gar acted as Raven's mute shadow, grateful that Vic hadn't found evidence of any serious injuries thus far.

"There's a bathroom down the hall."

Vic's tone and body language told Raven that it was fairly pointless to fight him on the matter, so Raven obeyed and left for the bathroom with Gar in tow.

Closing the bathroom door, Raven turned to Gar, "Alright put your hand over your eyes. And so help me, if you peek, I'll tell Vic how I really got hurt."

Continuing his mute act, Gar placed his left hand tightly over his eyes, letting Raven guide his right hand whenever she needed it to go. When Raven had swapped her clothes for a gown that not only opened in the back, but didn't go over her right arm, she gave Gar the ok to open his eyes.

Although it was awkward to walk down the hall with one arm completely exposed while clutching the back of the gown shut with the other, Raven somehow managed. Once she was lying on the table's cool metal surface, time seemed to drag. All she could think about were all of the things she would rather be doing. Being asked/told to lay still and hold her breath when she knew in her core that she wasn't hurt was simply infuriating.

By the time they were done, Vic had x-rayed everything but Raven's head.

"So are we done yet?" Raven sighed.

"Your part is done. And for being such a good sport I have a little something for you." Vic announced approaching the metal table, proudly presenting a lolli-pop. Meeting with only cold, angry, lavender eyes Vic pushed a little more, "Common Rae, it's a joke its suppose to make you smile."

"Dude, I've been telling her jokes for years and she never laughs or smiles," Gar said while snatching the sucker from Vic's hand.

"Yeah, well, you're not funny," Vic pouted.

"And apparently you're not either." Gar was quick to stick his tongue out, falling back into his normal rhythm with Vic.

"Are the two of you done?" Raven murmured from her seated position, looking up at her male teammates standing before her.

"Yeah….I'll come and get you when I've finished going over all of the film."

The process of changing out of the hospital gown was very similar to putting it on. Gar stood mutely beside Raven with his hand clamped tightly over his eyes.

As soon as Raven was finish, she marched to the elevator, pulling Gar's arm, brining him in tow. When the elevator doors chimed close, Gar turned to his raven haired friend and asked, "Now what?"

"Now? Now, we finish our conversation." Raven huffed.

"Pointing out the stupidity of hiding a broken bone is not trying to pick a fight, it's pointing out the stupidity of keeping secrets!"

"What would it have mattered? It healed in less than twenty-four hours!"

"It's about a pattern of keeping secrets! If I hadn't of tailed you last night would you have told _anyone_ about your dreams and this whole thing with your brother?"

"If I thought you could help, then yes!"

"Even though we're teammates, roommates and your best friends, you wouldn't have told us if you didn't think we could help?"

"What would be the point?"

"Because we care about you; because we have that right to know if the person we love is in danger or hurt."

Just then as the doors chimed open, Raven wished she could storm down the hall, leaving this argument behind her.

Gar on the other hand wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. Spying his room a few feet from the elevator's doors Gar took the initiative and pulled Raven across the hall and into his room. As his door slide shut Gar asked, "What else don't I know?" in a dark tone.

"That's a very board question and considering its you, there's probably a lot."

"I'm serious Raven; do you have any other brothers, are they going to help Greed? Who's the people helping with the sacrifice? Are the people being sacrificed volunteers? Victims? What?"

"I don't know! I see flashes. I see jumbles of things. I don't know which ritual he's going to use, I don't know exactly what it requires. The point is I don't know. I went to Avocet because I needed answers, because I needed help!"

"Let us help you."

"Fine, help me!"

Silence. As the air grew heavier, Raven fumed, she was frustrated and scared.

Finally, Gar suggested, "Avocet said strengthening our bound would help."

"How do you suggest we do that? Play video games?" Raven replied cocking her head to the side.

"It couldn't hurt."

"Gar, I am not playing video games."

"We could try talking."

"Yeah, because we're so great at talking with one another."

"Fine! We'll sit on the floor and stare at each other until Vic comes to get us!" Gar screamed before abruptly lowering himself to the floor like a sulking child.

"What are you doing?"

"Just what I said; sitting on the floor!"

"You are not seriously going to sit on the floor until Vic's finished."

"Well, you shot down my other suggestions."

"Fine! We can talk. What do you want to talk about?"

Silence, followed; being put on the spot has a way of stilling a person's tongue. Finally, Gar ventured, "Well….there's a lot we could talk about….er….should talk about. I mean, how are we going to….you know….live together? Are we going to stay in my room? Or…."

Glaring down at a cross-legged Gar, Raven grumbled, "We are not staying in your room; your bed isn't big enough for two people."

"We slept here last night," he returned with a shrug.

Struggling to find her voice, Raven stammered, "I-I-I…" before pausing to shake her head, recalling how she spent the night spread across his chest with his arms wrapped around her. Then, continuing to shake head, pushing those thoughts away, Raven asserted, "I am not spending the night in your room."

"Why? You did last night," Gar whined, looking up at Raven's standing figure.

"There were extenuating circumstances last night."

"Well, I'm not sleeping in your creepy room!"

"Creepy?"

"Your bed has a giant bird's head that stares down at you!"

"Oh, the big brave Beast Boy can't deal with a bird looking at him," Raven mocked.

"Aw, and the mighty Raven can't deal with a little cuddling!"

"Do you remember when I told Victor that I would be the judge of what crosses the line?"

"Yeah."

"Well, demanding that I basically sleep on top of you is crossing the line!"

"I…I…just don't want to sleep in there….geez, you touch a mirror and you get zapped into your mind…books containing dragons talk to ya and God only knows what else is in there. I mean, is there any way you would consider sleeping in here again?"

Rolling her eyes, Raven huffed, "If you had a bigger bed…and we each had enough room…"

"Great! I'll get a new bed," Gar exclaimed shooting up to his feet.

"You can't just get a new bed like that," Raven replied snapping her fingers.

"Sure you can, I bet there's places that'll deliver same day."

"So you're going to buy one off the internet?" Raven queried.

Scratching the side of his head Gar responded, "Well…ideally I would like to give it a test run or something before I buy it. But we can't exactly go into a store like this. I mean, can you image the headlines? '_Half nake Titans, chained together, shopping for new bed!_' I mean, even if I did put my halo-ring on, I'm still shirtless and we're still cuffed together. So I guess that means…we're stuck indoors until the cuffs come off. Dude, I don't know if I can take being in the tower that long. I need fresh air…and new faces, noise, sunlight….Rae, I don't know if I can take being locked up for too long. I get cabin fever super easy."

"We'll….we'll just take one problem at a time….we'll start with your shirtlessness," Raven paused taking in her topless green friend, "Where's the shirt you were wearing this morning?"

"I think its still on the floor someplace. I kinda lost track of it when Vic burst in here the second time." After locating the shirt that had been kicked to the side of the room, Raven gathered it in her hands before passing it off to Gar.

"Try putting it back on," Raven commanded.

"Rae, I can't go out with the side cut open."

"We could try sowing it shut. Or we could try sowing in a zipper or buttons, or something else. Something that's not too obvious."

"Yeah!" Gar shouted as the genius of Raven's idea fully dawned on him. "A zipper could work. I'll text Kori and Karen to stop at a fabric store and then we could sow up a couple of my shirts….wait, I don't know how to sow. Do you?"

"Not really….But, I think Vic does. And I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind helping you cover up." As Raven spoke, the pair moved towards Gar's desk, where his phone sat. As Gar began typing Kori and Karen, Raven continued, "Ask them to pick up some zippers for me too, so I can wear something with sleeves."

"I'll ask, but I'm not sure that's going to stop Kori from buying you a whole new wardrobe," Gar chuckled, shaking his head. "So, what about the cuffs? How are we going to hide those?" Gar asked as he finished and placed his phone on his desk again.

Raven had one idea, but she wasn't crazy about it. However, she didn't want to deny Gar or herself the outside world, so she tentatively said, "Maybe if we stand close together." And on cue, Gar scooted closer. "And maybe if we held hands." And without any prompting Gar laced their fingers together. Blowing out her breath, Raven continued, "Maybe if we were both wearing long sleeved shirts."

"Too bad you couldn't go out wearing your cloak. That would totally hide the cuffs. But then you would be the weirdo wearing a cloak."

"Or….something cloak like….like a poncho….get your cell, we need to call Kori and Karen."


End file.
